you belong with me - Eddie Munson

eight

I sigh before waking back to the couch, sitting down.
The others follow, now Eddie and Dustin sitting beside me, Mike and Steve on the floor in front of us.
"I told you, when you want me to help you, you gotta answer questions", Eddie reminds me.
Before all that I thought that maybe I could lie to him in a way...but the other three boys, who probably know a lot more about me and where I'm from than they should, make this not possible anymore I guess.
Of course I didn't want to lie to don't seem like a bad person or whatever. It was only meant to possibly protect the people around me from anything papa could do.

I sigh again, this time long and deep. It was unintentionally, but probably to procrastinate time.
"What's your name? Your real name", Eddie starts asking.
"Nineteen...", I answer.
"So...that's why there's that number in your arm?", he points on my tattoo.
I nod.
He looks at me the same way the men did last night when I told them my name. With that questioning, confused, weird face that tells me, my name makes no sense to him.
I mean I know that my name is a number...but why should that matter or be in any way not understandable? A name is just a name. Just a few letters put together to identify someone.
"And where are you from?", Mike continues.
"The...the laboratory..."
Again, Steve, Mike and Dustin look at each other.
This time I can understand their confusion. They all probably live in one of the beautiful houses we drove by, or in trailers like this one that are just not cold and dreary.
"Do you know Eleven?", Dustin asks, just as he did earlier in the car.
I look at him.
"How do you know her?", I ask them back. These words shot out of me like a gun.
We got told she died, so I want to know the truth. I need to know it. If she's alive, I have to see her! I have to talk to her!
"She escaped the lab", Mike begins.
"And we found her", Dustin finishes.
"How could that be possible...", I say to myself.
"Didn't you escape the lab as well?", Mike replies, making me look at him.
He is right.
When papa doesn't find me, he's probably gonna tell my siblings that I died also.
Papa's a liar. He lied to me - to all of us.

"Ehm, you guys...", Eddie pulls me out of my thoughts, "you maybe wanna tell me what's going on?"
Eddie really has no idea what we are talking about. He doesn't seem to know Eleven, or the laboratory.
And for another time, Steve, Dustin and Mike look at each other. And so does Eddie, just in a more puzzled way.
"I mean when she stays with him, he's gonna find out anyways, so...", Mike says to Dustin and Steve.
"That's dangerous, Mike, you know that!", Steve counters.
"He already knows a lot. If he knows one little detail more...what difference does that make?", Dustin interferes now too.
"'What difference'?? And 'little detail'? Have you gone mad, Henderson?"
"Steve's right. That's definitely more that just a 'little detail'!"
"Can you stop talk about me like I'm not here?!", Eddie shouts at them annoyed.
They all look at him.
Dustin sighs.
"Fine. So you really want to know. And you really want to take the risk of getting pulled into something dangerous that can get you killed?"
"Yeah sure!", he says jokingly, obviously not taking this seriously.
"Nineteen is one of a few experiments from the lab. Like our friend El. Both have some kind of powers...", Mike starts explaining.
Eddie just looks weirdly at me.
"Looks like she escaped the lab and is now in a lot of danger. Dr.Brenner probably already looks for her"
"Dr.Brenner?", Eddie asks.
"Papa", I answer before Mike could, "Papa puts all of us in pain when we are scared. He lies and manipulates...he's an evil person..."
They know so much about home and papa...they might speak the truth about Eleven...
"Who's 'all of us'?", Steve now asks.
"Me and my siblings", I look at him.
"How many are there? We thought they are all dead...El said something...", Dustin inquires.
"We are nineteen", I can feel how freaked out they all are.
"Okay, you know what", Eddie interrupts the situation, "when y'all don't want to tell me what's going on, you can just leave, alright?"
He gets up, pulling Dustin and Mike on their collars with him towards the door. Steve and I follow him.
"You four can go, and leave me alone", he looks at me.
He feels disappointed and deceived. He thinks we lie to him for no reason...
"Told ya you can stay when answering questions, but not lying!"
"Nineteen, use your powers! Show him we don't lie!", Dustin nervously tells me.
I overused my abilities and still hit my head on the asphalt.
Yesterday, today...I can barely think normally after all the action that demanded a lot from me. So I remain silent.
"Come on! Do it! Prove him, please", Mike begs me.
But I can't do anything. I try to move the lamp beside us over and over again, and it doesn't work...
I put my hand up, concentrating on letting the lamp float for just and inch...but nothing.
"Tsk", Eddie stares at me, shaking his head.
"Eddie...Eddie!", Mike catches his look, "Kick us out if you want, but Nineteen is not safe out there!"
"Believe us or not, she needs to stay here. At least for a while", Dustin adds.
"Yeah, alright, and when I don't do what y'all say, Santa Claus is gonna get me tonight, just shut up!"
"Hey Eddie", Steve tries to calm him down, putting his hands on his chest to soothe him, "You don't have to believe us, okay? But you can't let her sleep on the street", Eddie looks back at me, "Just for a few days, then we gonna find something else for her, alright?"
Eddie sighs, and seems to realize that the boys are right, as he opens the door for them, letting me stay with him.
They get outside, turning around to say goodbye, but Eddie already threw the door shut.
"My uncle is...", he takes a short break, "away", he says without looking at me, "you can chill on the couch"
He storms to his room, throwing the door shut without looking at me again once, followed by loud, intense music that plays.
Fuck.